Ukyō-ku (右京区) is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.
Contents
History
The meaning of ukyō (右京) is "on the Emperor's right." When residing in the Kyoto Imperial Palace the emperor would sit facing south, thus the western direction would be to his right. Similarly, there is a ward to the east called Sakyō-ku (左京区), meaning "the ward on the Emperor's left." In old times, ukyō was referring to the western part of the capital. The area of ancient Ukyō slightly overlaps the area of present Ukyō-ku.
The ward was established in 1931 when nine villages merged to form it.
On April 1, 2005, the ward expanded its territory to the area of former town of Keihoku when the town merged into the city of Kyoto. This increased the ward's territory from 74.27 square kilometres (28.68 sq mi) to 291.95 square kilometres (112.72 sq mi), and made it the largest ward in the city by area.
As of October 1, 2020, the ward has an estimated population of 202,047, with 97,849 households and a density of 692 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,790/sq mi).
Geography
Mountains
Iwatayama
Mount Atago
Mount Ogura
Rivers
Arisugawa
Katsura River
Tenjin River (Kamiya River)
Yugegawa
Adjacent municipalities
Kyoto wards of: Kita-ku, Sakyo-ku, Nakagyo-ku, Shimogyo-ku, Nishikyo-ku, and Minami-ku.
Kameoka, Kyoto
Nantan, Kyoto
Sights
Ukyo-ku is home to many renowned sites, including:
Arashiyama, a hill famed for its maple leaves and the Togetsu-kyō, the Bridge to the Moon
Ninna-ji, a Buddhist temple with a fine pagoda
Ryōan-ji, the Zen Buddhist temple with the karesansui (dry-landscape, i.e. raked stones) garden
Tenryū-ji, the head temple of the Tenryū branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism
Sagano, a neighborhood with Sagano Romantic Train and many temples, including the Nonomiya Shrine as well as Rakushi-sha, the Fallen Persimmon Hut
Uzumasa, the location of Kōryū-ji, a temple founded before Kyoto became the Imperial capital. The neighborhood is also the home of the Toei Uzumasa Eigamura studios and the center of Japan's television and film industries.
Economy
Rohm, an electronic parts manufacturer, and Nissin Electric, a global electrical equipment company, are headquartered in the ward.
Education
Universities
Kyoto Koka Women's University
Kyoto Saga University of Arts
Kyoto University of Advanced Science - Kyoto Uzumasa Campus
Kyoto University of Foreign Studies
Senior high schools
Hanazono Senior High School (花園高等学校)
Kitakuwada High School (ja:京都府立北桑田高等学校)
Kitasaga Senior High School (ja:京都府立北嵯峨高等学校)
Kyoto Gaidai Nishi High School
Kyoto Gakuen High School (ja:京都学園高等学校)
Kyoto Koka Senior High School (京都光華高等学校)
Kyoto Prefectural Sagano High School
Junior high schools
There are 12 junior high schools, of which nine are public and three are private.
Elementary schools
There are 21 elementary schools, of which 20 are public and one is private.
Others
North Korean school: Kyoto Korean No. 2 Elementary School (京都朝鮮第二初級学校).